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The Namaran Tribes
Speak of the Namarans and the first thing any folk will talk about is the elephants. Elephants are common on the plains and scrub-land to the South, and even the earliest human tribes learned to tame them and ride them into combat. But the tribes themselves are actually fairly complicated upon deeper analysis. Although the human nomads had long since made friendly relationships with the desert giants and isolated stone giant strongholds, it was the arrival of the Nagarst Elves that truly changed the culture. Instead of attempting to preserve their Elven heritage, the Namaran Elves freely intermingled with the human tribes, so that within a few centuries, half-elves quickly became prominent; especially in the great Oasis-city of Faenara. The original seeds planted 2,000 years ago have caused a grove of extraordinarily high trees to act as the foundation for the metropolis, with the highest spires and guard posts resting atop the mighty treetops. While most of these trees have long been removed, a large grove of them still remain in the center of the city which remains as a sort of meeting point for all the tribes in the region. Most of the tribes are fairly neutral, but spend a good part of their time rooting out Manscorpian nests or putting down the occasional brown, yellow or blue dragons that plague the mountains and open sands. Many of the tribes (outside the cities of course) are nomadic herders and horsemen with arguably the best steeds in the entire region. The major cities that do exist are primarily trading ports where metal (particularly weapons) command the highest demand. They don't have as much use for metal armor, since the hot sun quickly becomes oppressive while wearing it. The lands inhabited by the Namarans is often rumored to hold ancient relics left in perfect condition by the extinct Carnac Empire, hold unexploited gemstone mines, and other tales of fabulous wealth. In recent years, the Namarans have sold off the ivory left behind from their killed elephant steeds, but the demand for it far outweighs what they produce each year. Poaching is becoming more commonplace, and more than one adventurous mercenary company has struck it rich bringing down a herd of elephants for their ivory...if they can get away with it. The rare individuals who leave the Namaran homeland tend to be the adventurous sort who want to see the world. While humans still hold the majority in number, the half-elven populace is close behind, and the lands produce a fair number of half-elven adventurers. Unfortunately, wizards from this region are exceedingly rare and tend to only be taught by traveling magic-users from other lands. As such, most of the magic performed in the lands is done by priests and tribal shamans. The Namarans are generally left alone, but the past 500 years has drastically increased traffic to the region. They actually get along well with pirates since they offer discounted (stolen) and exotic (never before seen) goods. The only real enemy of the Namarans is the Kingdom of Draziir who frequently send out hunters into their territory for ivory and exotic animals for trade. A large scale conflict seems inevitable as more and more outposts are being built on the shoreline, and the metal weapons of these trading posts seems too good of an opportunity to pass up.